Oxford Village Historic District

Oxford's historic core spreads across both banks of the Chenango River in south-central New York. About 85 acres hold 201 contributing buildings, ranging from Federal and Greek Revival houses to Italianate, Queen Anne and Eastlake residences, along with bluestone and frame churches, a commercial block around Lafayette Park, and a railroad complex near the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western line. Notable works include Theodore Burr's 1810-12 house, St. Paul's Episcopal Church designed by Henry Dudley, and several buildings by Binghamton architect T.I. Lacey. The district matters because it traces the village's growth from its first frame dwelling in 1794, through its days as a turnpike and academy town, its rise as a commercial center after the Chenango Canal opened in 1837, and the arrival of rail service in 1870. Little redevelopment in the twentieth century left its nineteenth-century character largely intact. The 1939 Post Office, with its Depression-era mural, is also noted.